


What if?

by orphan_account



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Antichrist, Gen, keeping the baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 10:37:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20424569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What if Crowley decided not to take the baby to the convent?





	1. Keeping The Baby

Crowley took the baby from Ligur and Hastur. He put the child in the back seat of his Bentley and started to drive. He didn't want the world to end. He liked it. He liked the clothes and the concerts. Aziraphale loved the food and Crowley really did enjoy watching Aziraphale enjoy the food. There were so many things that were worth saving. 

He got his instructions and nearly crashed his car in the process. He was to take the child to the convent of the Chattering Order of Saint Beryl and they would make the switch. Drop the baby off and leave. Seemed simple enough, right? He could handle that. Couldn't he? But there would only be eleven years until the end of the world. Eleven years. That was nothing compared to the six millennia that came before. 

Crowley stopped the car as he got to the place that he was supposed to turn off. A simple right turn and then down the road and then drop off the baby. Do what he was told to do. It was what a good demon did. Helping to bring about the end of the world was just part of his job. And he wouldn't be in that situation if he hadn't lied on the reports back to the head office. He just sat there in the road, fingers drumming on the steering wheel while he thought about what he was going to do. And then he made a decision. Crowley took a deep breath and started to drive straight ahead. 

"We are most definitely closed." Aziraphale said as he answered the phone. 

"Aziraphale, it's me. We need to talk." Crowley said. 

"Yes. I believe we do. This is about?" Aziraphale cleared his throat. 

"Armageddon. Yes. Meet me in the usual place." Crowley then hung up the phone. He went to the car and miracled up a bottle of formula. He sat in the back seat of his car feeding the baby and trying to figure out what he was going to do until it was time to meet Aziraphale. 

"You kept the baby!?" Aziraphale was completely incredulous. "What were you thinking?" 

"I was thinking that I don't actually want the world to end." Crowley said, rolling his eyes. If he didn't switch the baby for the child of the American ambassador maybe they could stop the world from ending. Just maybe. 

"Well, that's very clear. But Crowley, if they find out what you've done they will absolutely destroy you." Aziraphale looked into the basket and smiled at the baby. He really was adorable. 

"They won't find out. I'm the one that's supposed to keep track of him. All I have to do is tell them everything is fine. They never check." Crowley looked around at the people walking past them. None of them were actually paying attention but he felt like he was being watched. 

"Which is how you got yourself into this situation in the first place." Aziraphale said rather smugly. "You can't be considering raising this child yourself, can you?" 

"And why not?" Crowley raised an eyebrow. 

"I've seen how you treat your plants." Aziraphale shook his head. Crowley glared at him for a moment. 

"Children are not plants, Aziraphale. You know how I feel about kids." He'd actually gone against Hell on more than one occasion in the name of saving children. Aziraphale's expression softened a bit and he nodded. 

"You're right. Of course you can handle this. Just perhaps....not entirely on your own?" 

"Are you wanting to help me raise the Antichrist, angel?" Crowley asked with a smirk. 

"Perhaps. I could be his uncle. Or something along those lines." Aziraphale reached into the basket and gently stroked the baby's cheek with his finger. 

"Yes. Something like that." Crowley chuckled. This would all be totally fine. Crowley could definitely raise a child with only minimal help from Aziraphale. Couldn't he?


	2. Finding a home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley realized his flat is no place for a baby.

In the entire time that they'd known each other Crowley had to admit, rather begudgingly, that Aziraphale was right about quite a few things. The most recent of those being that his flat was not a fit place in which to raise a child. As he walked through the front door and looked around it actually started to remind him of a quote from one of his favorite movies*. 

"If I had to live in that house, I'd probably pray for disease, too. The place is like a museum. It's very beautiful and very cold, and you're not allowed to touch anything." 

That quote most definitely summed up Crowley's current living arrangements. And then there was the fact that the flat was nowhere near any good schools. That had been intentional originally. It was meant to be a bachelor pad of sorts. Did anybody even call them that anymore? It didn't matter, though. He had a child to consider now so moving was going to be necessary. All of the best schools in London were private schools that practically existed inside churches so those would definitely be out. Crowley decided that the best way to go was a nice cottage in a good village with a very good school. He could handle that. 

Crowley had originally planned for someone to watch the baby while he went house hunting and then he realized that was a little ridiculous. The whole point of finding a new place to live was to accommodate the child. He'd done a bit of research in regard to what the baby would need, including the best car seat. For a brief moment he considered the possibility that he might have to get rid of the Bentley and get something more practical but that moment was very, very brief. 

"Oh he is the most precious thing." The realtor said as she looked into the carrier. The baby was sleeping at the moment. Crowley still hadn't come up with a name just yet. He knew he'd have to name the child but none of the names he came up with felt like they fit. And it didn't help that the baby would cry almost every time he tried one out. 

"Thank you." Crowley forced a smile. He just wanted to look at the cottages. 

"I think I have the perfect house for the two of you. It has a very big garden for him to play in when he gets older. And it's a short walk from the school." She wiggled her fingers at the baby before they headed to the house. This was the fourth house that they'd seen. The baby had cried as soon as they walked in the front door of the previous three. The Antichrist would most definitely know where he wanted to live and so far they hadn't chosen correctly apparently. 

"It is rather nice." Crowley said as they walked up the path. The front garden was just as big as the back, with a nice fence around it. Enough to keep the child in but not so much as to keep the neighbors totally at bay. He would need friends, after all. And so far there wasn't a peep. 

"It has two bedrooms, both upstairs. And a lovely sitting room over here." The realtor said moving to the left after opening the door. "The kitchen is through here as well as the dining room." 

As they moved through the house, looking at everything, there was this growing feeling that Crowley couldn't quite explain. And the fact that the child was still silent meant quite a lot. It wasn't until they got up to the second floor and Crowley was looking out at the view from the bedroom window that he realized what it was he was feeling. Love. Unconditional love. He looked down at the baby and smiled brightly. 

"Have we found our home, little one?" He asked. The baby looked up at him and giggled. Crowley was almost certain that his heart actually exploded in his chest at the sound. It was magical. "We'll take it." Crowley said with a nod. 

"Fabulous. I'll get the paperwork ready." The realtor said with a grin. "Welcome to Ashwell, Mr Crowley." She then went down to get the purchase under way. 

"Now we just need to let Uncle Aziraphale know our new address, don't we......" Crowley tilted his head and really looked at the child. "Damien." He smiled and for once the baby didn't start to cry. Why hadn't he thought of that name sooner?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ferris Bueller's Day Off


	3. Meeting the Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A neighbor offers to help

The problem with tiny humans, Crowley thought as he paced in his sitting room trying to get the baby to stop crying, was that they couldn't tell you what was actually wrong. Even with Crowley's telepathic abilities, babies couldn't put thoughts into words so it was next to impossible to figure out what they really needed. 

"I've fed you, changed you, I'm rocking you....what's wrong?" He sighed as he kept pacing. He tried to stay calm. He'd read somewhere that babies can sense when you're upset and it causes them to be upset but it was getting more and more difficult with each passing minute. 

"Maybe you need some fresh air, yeah? We can try going outside." He cleared his throat and made sure Damien was wrapped in a nice blanket before heading out into the garden. "Isn't that lovely?" Crowley asked and he just kept pacing around the garden. 

"Hello?" A lovely young woman said from the sidewalk just the other side of the fence around Crowley's properly. 

"I'm sorry. Is he bothering you? I'm trying to get him to quiet down...." Crowley moved a little closer to the fence. 

"You're not a bother at all. Sometimes babies just need to cry for a bit. They've got all this energy and no way to burn it off." The young woman smiled. She reminded Crowley a bit of Aziraphale. 

"Well, that seems to be the case right now. He just hasn't stopped no matter what I try." Crowley shifted the baby in his arms again. 

"I think I see part of the problem. May I?" She asked and held out her hands. Before letting her take the baby, Crowley went over and opened the little gate, motioning for her to come in. 

"Please." Crowley chuckled softly. One thing about being a demon, he'd be able to tell if she wasn't a good person. At least he was a good judge of character. The young woman took Damien from Crowley and positioned him in her arms. She adjusted his blanket, wrapping him a little more tightly. 

"Now, hold him close so that his ear is against your chest so he can hear your heartbeat." She handed Damien back to Crowley and he did as she suggested. It didn't take long before the baby was quiet and almost asleep. 

"Thank you so much." Crowley smiled. 

"Angela." The young woman introduced herself. "Sometimes they just need a tight swaddle and a little comfort." 

"I appreciate that very much, Angela. Thank you." Crowley cleared his throat. "I'm Anthony. And this is Damien." He smiled down at the baby and then looked at Angela again. "Can I offer you some tea?" 

"I would like that, thank you." Angela nodded. Crowley smiled and headed into the house, leaving the door open for Angela to follow. 

"Let me just put him to bed." He motioned for her to take a seat before heading upstairs and putting Damien in his bassinet. It only took a couple of minutes and then he was back downstairs and making the tea. Crowley took a tray with the tea and some biscuits into the sitting room. 

"You have a lovely home here. I was hoping someone would take this cottage." Angela smiled as she took her tea and held it in both hands. 

"Needed to get away from the city." And the possibility of being found out, he thought. Angela nodded and sipped her tea. They were both quiet for a moment. 

"May I ask a personal question?" She cleared her throat. 

"Of course. I'm a very open person." Crowley smiled. He was very thankful that he'd slipped his sunglasses on before going outside. He had to be extra careful in a little village like this. 

"I just....I noticed you're not wearing a ring...." She kept her eyes on him as she sipped her tea again. Crowley nodded. 

"Yes. Um....Damien's mother we....never got a chance to get married." He cleared his throat and looked into his tea. He'd come up with a whole backstory since moving into the cottage. "She said she didn't want to be pregnant on her wedding day and then...." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, it's still very fresh." 

"Oh you poor dear. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up...." Angela set down her tea and put a hand on Crowley's arm. "I'm terribly sorry." 

"It's alright, really. But that's why I had to get out of the city. Too many memories." He offered her a small smile before sipping his tea. 

"Yes, of course. Completely understandable." She squeezed his arm before picking her tea up again. "Well, if the two of you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm just right across the road." 

"That's very sweet of you." Crowley smiled genuinely this time. The two of them ended up talking for a couple of hours before Angela checked her watch and decided it was time to go. Crowley had a sense that having Angela in his life was going to be very helpful. He just had to make sure that she didn't get the wrong impression. When she was safely across the street, Crowley pulled out his phone and called Aziraphale. 

"Yes?" The angel asked. 

"Don't ask too many questions but I need you to know that you are my dead fiancee's brother, okay?" Crowley rattled off quickly. 

"Am I?" Aziraphale asked with a laugh. 

"Yes. It's a long story. Had tea with a neighbor and it just kind of came out. Needed to explain you coming by that wouldn't raise too much suspicion." 

"Alright, alright. I can't say that I will blatantly lie but I won't correct anyone that asks. Is that fair?" Aziraphale sighed. 

"Yes, that works perfectly. Thank you." And then Crowley hung up before Aziraphale could say anything else.


	4. School Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damien's first day of school

Crowley was laying in bed completely dressed but with the covers pulled up to his chin and pretending to be asleep. 

"Daddy! You gotta wake up!" Damien said as he came into the bedroom, pushing at Crowley's shoulder. He yawned and opened one eye. 

"Why do I need to wake up? Sleeping is better." He was trying very hard not to smile. 

"Acause I gotta go to school!" Damien shook his shoulder again. 

"Oh well that's complete rubbish. You're not going to school." Crowley shook his head. 

"But I gotta, daddy. And my friends are gonna go to school. And I can make new friends if I go to school." Damien crossed his little arms over his chest. Crowley shook his head and this time he let himself smile. 

"Nope. Absolutely not. You're going to stay here in the house with me forever!" Crowley threw the blankets off and picked Damien up, putting him on the bed and tickling him. Damien squealed and then laughed. 

"I can't stay forever, daddy!" Damien tried to wriggle away and Crowley let him. He sighed heavily and shook his head. 

"Oh alright. If you insist. I'll take you to school." He made a face. Damien stood up on the bed and took Crowley's face in his little hands. He just looked at him for a minute. Crowley never wore his sunglasses in the house so Damien was used to the snakey yellow eyes, though Crowley always wore them when he left the cottage. 

"It's gonna be okay, daddy. School is good for me." He nodded. 

"You're absolutely right. And if I don't take you to school, I will never hear the end of it from Uncle Zira, will I?" Crowley smirked and Damien shook his head. Aziraphale would definitely insist that school was the best option. 

After having some breakfast, Crowley made sure that Damien had everything he would need for his first day of school and then they walked down the lane together. Damien kept a grip on Crowley's hand as they walked. 

"Are you excited?" Crowley asked, though he knew the answer. 

"Uh huh. I'mma learn lots and lots." Damien smiled up at Crowley. 

"And you'll be the smartest boy in the school." Crowley nodded. 

"With the best daddy." Damien grinned. It didn't take them very long to get to the school and Crowley knelt down so he could look Damien in the eye. 

"I can come in with you if you want. Just to walk you to your class." Crowley adjusted the straps on Damien's little backpack as Damien shook his head. 

"I gotta be growed up, daddy. I can do it." He patted Crowley's cheek. Crowley sighed but he smiled. 

"My big boy." Crowley gave Damien a little kiss on the forehead and then got to his feet. "Alright. I'll be here waiting for you when you're done, okay?" 

"I got it, daddy." Damien grinned. He saw one of his friends and then ran to catch up with her. Crowley just watched him until he disappeared into the building. He cleared his throat and was very thankful for the sunglasses. Now he just had to figure out what he was going to do with himself until three.


	5. Career Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damien has a school project and needs some help.

Damien really did enjoy school. He got to spend time with his friends and he got to learn new things. He was very good at coloring and he had the best imagination. At least that's what everybody said. There were some kids that weren't so nice but his daddy taught him that's just the way people are. Some people are mean for the sake of being mean. What Damien didn't know was the constant struggle that Crowley underwent trying not to go terrify the children that were mean to his son. He didn't need to cause problems. 

"Daddy?" Damien said as they sat at the table eating dinner. Crowley insisted that they always eat dinner together. Especially when Uncle Zira was visiting. 

"Yes?" Crowley asked, looking up from his food. Crowley was unlike a lot of the fathers in the neighborhood in that when his child talked to him, he listened attentively. He wanted to make sure that Damien never felt unwanted. 

"We have a school project and I don't know what to do." Damien started to push the peas around on his plate. He didn't like peas but daddy and Uncle Zira said they were important to being healthy. 

"Oh? What's the project? Maybe I can help you out." Crowley smiled. Damien did have an advantage to the other kids when it came to history subjects. 

"It's...um....career day." Damien looked down at his plate. "We're supposed to have a parent or somebody come talk about what they do for a job. When the teacher asked me what your job was, I didn't know what to say." 

"Oh." Crowley watched his son for a moment. The boy actually looked sad and Crowley hated it when Damien was sad for any reason. "Can't exactly go up there and talk about being rich, can I?" He chuckled. Maybe he should think about getting a job. 

"Not really." Damien said with a little bit of a smile. 

"I know." Crowley took a sip of his glass of water. He'd stopped drinking wine with dinner once Damien was old enough to ask if he could have some. "Why don't I talk to Uncle Zira? He can come talk about running his bookshop." 

"But that's so boring." Damien said with a groan, rolling his eyes. 

"That's not very nice, but you do have a point." He wrinkled his nose and then tried to think. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then a thought came to him. "What if I tell your class about the job I had before you came along?" This caused Damien to perk up. 

"What job was that?" He took a drink from his glass of milk. 

"Well....I guess you could say I was a spy. Of sorts." There was a little twinkle in his eye. "My job was making sure that certain things happened in a certain way without anyone knowing that I was the one that did it." 

"You're making that up." Damien raised an eyebrow, looking at Crowley skeptically. 

"I can assure you I am not." Crowley nodded. "Uncle Zira was my partner, actually. Even after he opened the bookshop. It was the cover for our operation." 

"That sounds really cool." Damien grinned. "Will you come tell my class about that? I bet they'll love it." 

"I can't go into too many details but I can definitely tell them what I'm allowed to tell them." Crowley smiled. Damien got up and came around the table, giving Crowley a big hug. 

"Thanks, daddy. I'm going to have the best presentation ever! My dad the spy." He laughed. They finished dinner together talking about some of the things that Crowley had done in his spy days.


	6. Birthday Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley asks Damien what he wants for his birthday.

Damien's ninth birthday was coming up and Crowley wasn't entirely sure what to get him. He had a vague idea of what the boy was into. He knew that he wanted the latest video game console. That was already in the works but it was a co present from him and Aziraphale. He wanted to get him something that was just from him. Rather than trying to guess and most likely getting it wrong, Crowley decided on the direct approach. 

"So, Damien. Your birthday is coming up. Is there anything in particular you're hoping to get?" Crowley said as he served breakfast. They made it a habit to eat breakfast together every day. 

"Subtle, dad." Damien said with a chuckle. 

"I could always go with another jumper...." Crowley smirked and Damien groaned. 

"No, definitely not." Damien thought about it a minute as he looked at his breakfast. "There is one thing I want but I'm not really sure if I can have it." 

"I've told you from the time you were old enough to understand the concept that there is nothing in this world I wouldn't get for you." He went over and kissed the top of Damien's head. "Just tell me what it is and I will do everything in my power to get it." 

"Well." Damien sighed heavily. "I want to know about my parents." 

"I've already told you everything there is to tell you about me." Crowley said with a smile. 

"You know what I mean." Damien sighed again. Crowley nodded and sighed as well. He'd been honest with Damien about being adopted rather than being Crowley's actual child. Especially when Damien asked why he didn't have eyes like Crowley's. 

"I know, son. I don't know a whole lot. I only know that they gave you up because they couldn't properly care for you. They wanted you to have a better life than they could provide." He reached over and took Damien's hand. How do you tell a child that their father is Satan without it causing some issues? 

"Is there any way you can find out?" Damien looked up at Crowley this time with his puppy dog eyes. Crowley made a face and then laughed softly. 

"You know I can't resist that face." He grabbed Damien's chin and then kissed him on the forehead. "I'll do what I can but I can't make any promises, okay?" 

"Okay. You'll try. That's good enough." Damien smiled brightly and then started on his breakfast. Crowley ruffled the boy's hair before getting his own food and sitting down to join him before he had to go off to school. 

"What are you going to do?" Aziraphale asked before sipping his tea. He'd made it a twice weekly routine to visit and check up on the boy. He was extremely amazed that Crowley hadn't been found out by Hell after all this time. 

"I have no idea." Crowley sighed. "I don't want to lie to him but I don't want him to fall apart. I mean the whole point is to raise him to be normal. How can he be normal if he knows the truth about who his father is?" 

"You're in a very difficult predicament, that's for certain." Aziraphale stared at his tea thoughtfully. "I think you need to be completely honest with him. Lying to him will just haunt you in the end. Especially if things get started that you're trying to avoid in the first place." 

"You want me to tell an eight year old boy that I have no idea who his mother is but his father is Satan himself." Crowley said rather than asked. He nodded and then sipped his own tea. "Right. That's going to go over very well." He rolled his eyes. 

"You don't have any other choice. He's going to find out in two years anyway. If you lie to him now but have to tell him the truth later, it's going to be very, very bad for....well....everyone." Aziraphale shook his head. That was definitely a good way to end the world. 

"You're right, you're right." Crowley sighed again. He'd been doing that a lot the last few hours. After a moment he let out a little growl through clenched teeth and then downed the rest of his tea. "I'll have to tell him. And hope that he doesn't hate me." 

"You're the one that's taken care of him." Aziraphale smiled. "You're the one that's loved him unconditionally. I doubt he could ever hate you." He finished his tea. Crowley just nodded and wrinkled his nose for a second. He was starting to get this cold pit deep down inside that told him it wasn't going to go well at all.


	7. The truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Crowley telling Damien the truth about his parents.

"I hate you!" Damien screamed just before slamming his bedroom door. Crowley was sitting on the couch in the living room just trying to process everything that happened. He'd been completely honest with Damien and it had ended exactly as well as he thought it would. He sighed heavily and decided to give Damien some time to himself for now. He got up and went out into the garden. It always made him feel better. 

"Everything alright, dear?" Angela asked as she walked past the house. She'd gotten to know Crowley over the time he'd been there with his son and it was easy to tell when he wasn't having a good day. 

"Not particularly, no." Crowley shook his head. He stopped pruning the rose bush he'd been working on and went to stand at the gate. 

"What seems to be the trouble today?" She offered a kind smile. It was nice to have someone to talk to. 

"Damien asked me about his biological parents." Crowley shook his head. "It didn't go well." 

"Were they not good people?" Angela raised an eyebrow. Crowley never really talked about Damien's parents but everyone knew that he was adopted. 

"I know next to nothing about his mother. I couldn't find anything out. His father...." Crowley sighed. "Let's just say he and Charles Manson would get along swimmingly." Crowley made a face. It wasn't exactly a lie. 

"Oh. That's....oh." Angela's eyes went a bit wide. She reached up and started to play with the cross necklace she usually wore. "I can see how that wouldn't go well at all." 

"I couldn't lie to him." Crowley made a face again. It would have been easier but the truth would come out eventually. Angela reached over the fence and touched Crowley's shoulder. 

"You did the right thing, love. I promise. He'll get over it eventually." She smiled. "The important thing is that you were honest with him. And that you have loved him for his entire life. You've been here for him. That's what will matter in the end." 

"I really hope so." Crowley said with a nod. All he could do was love the boy and hope that things really would be okay. They had two years until they got to find out. "I should probably go see if he's okay. Wanted to give him a bit of space." 

"Yes, go check on him." Angela patted Crowley's shoulder as she nodded. "He's going to need all the love you can give him." She smiled. Crowley just nodded and headed back into the house. He stood outside Damien's bedroom door for a good twenty minutes before he finally knocked lightly. 

"Go away!" Damien yelled. Crowley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

"Can I please come in?" He could just miracle the door unlocked if he wanted to but he was going to respect Damien's space. The whole point was to not push. 

"No!" Damien yelled back. "I said go away."

"Alright, I'll leave you alone but I just wanted you to know...." Crowley paused for a second. "I love you, Damien. You're my son and nothing is going to change that. No matter what." He put his hand against the door before he turned and started to walk away. He didn't go very far, though. After a couple of minutes, the bedroom door came open. 

"How can you love me knowing what I am?" Damien asked. Crowley looked at him and his heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Puffy red eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. Crowley wanted to just take the boy into his arms and never let go. He did step a little closer to Damien, though. 

"Because you are not your father, Damien." He knelt down so they could be at eye level. "You are who you want to be and nothing else. No one has a right to tell you who or what you are but you." 

"But my father...." Damien started. Crowley shook his head. 

"Your father has absolutely no say in who you are as a person, Damien. That is entirely up to you." He offered a small smile. "And you are a brilliant, sweet, wonderful boy who loves his friends and this village very much." Damien was quiet for a few minutes and he tentatively walked closer to Crowley. 

"I don't really hate you." He said quietly. Crowley put a hand on Damien's cheek, smiling a little more. 

"I never thought you did." 

"I'm sorry." Damien said, his voice a little shaky, as he practically threw himself into Crowley's arms. Crowley just wrapped him up in a warm hug and held him close, one hand going up to gently stroke his hair. 

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, my boy. Nothing at all." He was starting to get a bit teary himself. "I just want you to always remember that I love you, no matter what. Okay?" 

"I love you, too, dad." Damien sniffled a little. That was what was important. Not his father, but his dad. The man that was there. Nothing else mattered.


	8. Chapter 8

Damien came running down the lane with a couple of his friends following him and a dog. It was a medium sized dog and looked like it might be a spaniel of some kind. The dog had no collar and acted like Damien was already its owner. He'd been playing with his friends when the dog came out of nowhere. 

"Dad!" Damien yelled as he got closer to the house. "Dad! Look what I found!" He opened the gate and the dog went running up the path to the house, stopping on the porch. Of course Crowley knew what it was the minute he laid eyes on it. Anyone else would just see a lovely, well behaved spaniel. Crowley could see the Hell Hound for what it really was. 

"That's a very nice dog." Crowley said and cleared his throat. 

"Dad, can I keep him? Please?" Damien batted his eyelashes at Crowley and tried to look absolutely adorable. Crowley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

"I guess that depends on whether or not you've already named him." Crowley crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. He knew that the dog had already been named by the way it looked. Damien's friends were waiting in the lane to see if he'd be able to keep the dog. 

"I thought I'd call him Charlie." Damien knelt down and scratched behind the dog's ears. Crowley tensed a bit but tried to hide it. The end of the world was days away. He hadn't done a good enough job to stop it. 

"Alright, you can keep him. But you have to walk him and feed him and take care of him." Crowley nodded firmly. He had a phone call he had to make. 

"Thanks, dad!" Damien said before giving Crowley a hug. He had a feeling he'd get to keep the dog. It was his birthday after all. 

"Just remember to take care of him." Crowley hugged back and ruffled the boy's hair. Damien then ran off to go play with his friends, the dog following after him. 

"So that's it then?" Aziraphale asked as they sat at the kitchen table in the cottage. 

"Apparently." Crowley sighed heavily. "I thought for sure I'd done a good job....that he'd turn the dog away...." Crowley closed his eyes. 

"Are you seriously questioning your skills as a parent right now?" Aziraphale asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Maybe." Crowley muttered before sipping his coffee. "We have a week at most before the end of the world. I don't know what else to do." 

"We'll come up with something." Aziraphale nodded, though he wasn't even remotely sure what. 

"Right. We always do." Crowley said a bit deadpan, finishing off the last of his coffee. The end of the world was literally days away and he was responsible for the one being that was going to start it. Of course everything would be just fine.


End file.
